Red Sox fan? Patriots fan? Both?

I’ve got some things to take care of this morning, so I’m going to leave you with this poll.

In his infamous “we should be more forgiving of the Red Sox and more critical of the Patriots” column last week, Chris Gasper noted that colleague Tony Massarotti feels that there isn’t much of an overlap between fan bases of the two franchises.

What do you think? Are you a Red Sox fan and a NY Giants fan? Are you a Patriots fan and a Yankees fan? (I know people who are both of those things.) I even know someone who is a Red Sox fan and Jets fan. In general, though, I think most Red Sox fans are Patriots fans and vice versa.

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I voted as “fan of Pats, not of Sox”, but that’s because I can’t stand baseball. If I liked baseball I’d be a Sox fan.

J.R.

Tony Mazz is, without any doubt, our little village's total idiot. ("You're ab-so-lutely right, Mike.") Way to have your fingers on the pulse of the fandom, Mazzwipe. What a tool.

In my observations gained by following Boston's pro sports teams since the mid-1960s, more often than not fans of the Sox are also fans of the Pats, and vice versa. Sure, there may be that stray person (or three) who doesn't fit this profile, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Now, where you more typically find a split of loyalties is between Celtics and Bruins fans. I happen to like and follow both winter teams, but I know there are LOTS of folks out there who love one of those teams and despise the other. Not sure why that really is, but it's definitely out there.

Oh, and have I mentioned recently that Mazz is an azz???

Paul

YARM – You're Absolutely Right, Mike

Tony

JR is right, I think.

I think the Bruins, after 35 years of the Jacobs Nightmare, have become a team for the diehards only. I'm still a fan, but Jacobs has sapped a lot of my passion (I realize the salary cap has changed things a bit over the last few years, but still, it's hard to forgive and forget about how much he took advantage of the loyalty and passion of long-time B's fans for so many years).

On the other hand, if you like the Sox, you generally like the Pats, and you also generally like the Celtics.

I guess it's all about what sports you like. Some people are just baseball fans, some are just football fans, etc. But I think Boston, in general, is such a passionate sports town that Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics love is relatively mutual, while Bruins love is harder to come by.

I could be wrong, but that's how I see it.

Oh, and Mazz is either a complete idiot or he simply gets a jolly out of annoying his readers and listeners.

Classless

I love the Celtics, but hate the Bruins. The reason why is the Bruins are fatally flawed with their ownership. Jacobs looks like Oliver Twist at a table of rich, successful kids. Also, seeing the B's ineptitude over the years is simply a waste of time. I stopped being a fan in 2004 when they choked away a 3-1 series lead to Montreal.

jspencer91

I used to be a Red Sox fan, as well as a Patriot's fan. But I'm one of the few people that never came back to baseball after the strike.

SJH

Instead of a brain, Tony Mazz has four pounds of Skittles rattling around in his head. Wildberry flavor.

Kevin

I never understood why it is so hard for some to comprehend that people can be fans of not only one team, but even of several teams. Personally I like the 4 major Boston sports teams throughout their seasons, and at different points in their seasons my interest will go up and down. (i.e. C's and B's playoffs vs. game 14 Red Sox; Red Sox playoffs vs. game 3 Bruins or Celtics pre-season) I also enjoy local college sports (PC Basketball, BC football, college hockey) None of my rooting interests gets in the way of my rooting for other teams.

Andelman's Bruins hatred was irrational, and annoying. I was a big fan of him when I was young, but then I grew up and got a clue.

greg

I mean, isn't this obvious? Sure there are the anecdoctal examples we all know personally. But honestly, most sports fans in Boston and even New England like and follow both the Red Sox and Patriots. And, yes, that makes Tony Mazz a moron. I disagree with J.R.'s comments about the split between Celts and Bruins fans. The majority of people, I would guess vast majority, are at least causual fans of all 4 major sports teams. While there may be some split between Bruins and Celtics, I don't think they "despise" the other team, they're just ambivalent about the sport, either hockey or basketball, in my experience. Still, even that group would be a very small minority IMO.

Mike

Just further proof that Tony Mazz is a clueless moron when it comes to the fans of the area. This guy seriously needs to stop A) speaking for the fans, B) Criticizing fans and C) Generalizing/Stereotyping fans. He is wrong every single time.

Paul of Fox

All one has to do is remember the Patriots game a few years back when the Red Sox were in the playoffs. They showed a highlight of the Red Sox game on the big screens that resulted in a big ovation from the crowd. This confused the Patriots players on the field who had no idea what was going on. IIRC, a receiver had just dropped a pass, and with the ovation, some of the players thought that maybe it had been caught after all. The players were rather disappointed that it was just a Red Sox highlight.

Lance_

Maybe I can give Masserotti a hard-on but I support all Boston teams except the Jeremy Jacbos (i.e. the Bruins) and have been a fan of the Maple Leafs since I was a wee lad when I bought my first Hockey News that had Darryl Sittler on the cover. And before anyone on here gets on me, I realize the only one who cares about this is my dog.

Jon

Go back to Canada!!!!!11!! (Just kidding. The Leafs? that's like the Bruins with less competence and the media coverage of the Dallas Cowboys. Ouch…)

Tony

I remember Sittler having 10 points in a game against the Bruins one Saturday night at the old Maple Leaf Gardens (6G, 4A, I think).

He could play.

Rick

I REMEMBER HUGH MILLEN thats how much of a PATS FAN I AM!!!!!!! Go section 336!!!

http://twitter.com/JimMacLeod @JimMacLeod

Mazz is out of touch with the fans. Whenever he says, "The average fan out there thinks …" you can expect the rest of that sentence is completely wrong. He's going to say whatever continues his argument. It was great when he was on vacation. 98.5 had somebody with original thoughts and a radio voice.

Rick

I'd go further and say whenever anybody says that they are going to be completely wrong. Even with the internet, what the "average fan" believes can never be determined. Sports talk is a collection of mouthbreathers who have the time and inclination to wait on hold for forty minutes during the middle of the day to get yelled at. On the internet, people tend to congregate in places that tend to have the same perspective. People who post at Dirt Dogs are vastly different from people at Sons of Sam Horn. I don't even think there is an average fan to be spoken for.

Angry Old Bastard

I like the Red Sox but MUCH MUCH more of a Patriots fan for the simple reason that FOOTBALL RULES…..(well, to me it does anyway)…….

Fred West Lynn

I am a fan of both teams, but only a season ticket holder to one, the Red Sox. I'm more emotionally invested in the Sox than the Pats — partially due to longevity, partially because I enjoy baseball more than football.

NASCL

it's a no-brainer that the percentage of participants being fans of both the Red Sox and Patriots is so high. If a similar poll plugged in the Bruins and Celtics, you'd see more of a discrepancy.

Nopointe

Who the hell is Tony Mazz?

There used to be a horrible writer at the Herald named something like that.

Eddie

I expect stupidity like this from Gaspar. He's a twerp who shouldn't even have a job. I don't listen to his show(because I can't stand Felger) but what I read on this board and others is that Tony Mazz has turned into a jerk. That's too bad, because I always liked him when he was on 'EEI.

The whole premise of not being able to be a fan of two teams in different sports sounds like something Felger would say just to get a reaction.

bholmes

courageous writer. the segments of “big papi” discussing steroids/ped use with ortiz were riveting.

Brisby

For me it goes like this: Pats>Celtics>Bruins>Sox. I follow all the teams but lose track of the Sox sometimes as the baseball season is way too long.

I also get fed up with the Globe/NESN/National Media beating me over the the head with "all things Red Sox"

The Pats will always be #1 for me.

TTFK

The best cure for Big Sport Burnout (BSB): Go find a local high school game to watch, doesn’t really matter what sport. It is there that you will rediscover people with a true joy and passion for their chosen sport.

Rick

570 people voted on that poll in a few hours. Those polls that Boston Sports Then and Now love to post are lucky to get 1/50th of that number in a week.

Jon

Grew up in NH and I'm a fan of both teams (and the Celtics and Bruins), like at least 80% of the New England sports fans I know. Funny thing for me is I understand people who aren't Sox fans, but I can't stand football fans who grew up in New England and root for other teams. Probably because I hated the bandwagon jumping Steeler and Cowboy fans when I was a kid in NH in the 70s.